Christen could not have been more on the nose, so to speak, as to Crystal being busy. "Mom, I'm not cut out for Arithmetic! Crystal sadly wasn't as intelligent as her mother regarding academics. Her mother, however, still attempted to get her daughter to learn more advanced subjects. Her husband had tried to argue against this once or twice. But trying to convince Ami that their daughter wasn't as good a student as her mother was like trying to stop Usagi from pigging out on food. It wasn't going to happen.
"I know there are lots of areas to explore, Crystal. However, Hotaru's daughter Emily is already in pre-calculus." Ami stated in defense of her thinking.
"Am I Emily?!" Crystal hated being compared to her friends. Why couldn't her mother accept she wasn't a brainiac? That she was more average in intelligence and not a genius.
Crystal didn't mind her friends having their own academic strengths. Yet mathematics was Emily's. Crystal's strengths lay more in Bistro with Chibiusa, Ariel, Alexis, and Jewel. Likewise, she was about the same in PE with Ariel and Holly.
"Emily takes exceptional courses, my daughter. However, I believe having one of you in each of her classes would benefit her." Ami heard Emily struggle like Crystal. While Hotaru's daughter improved, Ami's light brunette offspring is still in Level 1 mathematics and even struggling with that! The blue-haired woman couldn't understand why her daughter hadn't inherited the brains that Mercury was known for!
Crystal had attempted to improve multiple times. She honestly did. However, most of the time? It was like learning a different language for which you had no good reason. Thankfully, sports is one way Crystal could truly relax.
"Mrs. Mizuno just wants you to push yourself like she does." Ariel attempted to justify Ami's actions delicately. Except that it was challenging.
"Your mama needs to acknowledge you are not her, though," Holly reminded everyone while they hiked a trail the girls always did to warm up.
Comet and Rose walked with them. "I'm not an intellectual. I can only understand so much." Crystal responded in a strained tone.
Christen repeatedly made wisecracks concerning Crystal's special needs, which hurt and angered the blue-eyed girl. This was why she resorted to using Mercury's water to slap the pitch-black-haired girl. Crystal, Ariel, Holly, Comet, and Rose, both kittens in human form, decided to shoot some hoops, all against each other! Understandably, Rose wasn't exceptionally talented at the game. Consequently, Crystal went easy on her, getting the others to do the same. Even if they did keep score and Crystal did not win, it was not any less fun. After this, Crystal had ballet practice, which she was more skilled at.
So, she freshened up and got to it! No one else took ballet. Yet everyone enjoyed watching Crystal do it. Swimming, however, was enjoyed with Alexis. Neptune's daughter even understood how frustrated Soldier of Water was with her mom.
"Lexi, how did you get out of at lessons?" Crystal questioned.
"It's like I told my mom. Perhaps I'm not as cut out for art as I am qualified in music." Alexis reminded her friend.
"Yeah..." Crystal had an idea!
As Crystal walked into the Dining Room, she asked for a moment of her parents' time. In their room. "What did you want to tell us, sweetie?" Ami sat down on the bed beside her child.
Crystal looked Ami straight and seriously stated, "Mom, I love you. Make no mistake regarding that. However, I have no intention of continuing to learn advanced subjects."
"I only pushed you because you seemed dissatisfied with your intelligence," Ami revealed she was only trying to help.
"I told you Crystal would let you know sooner or later." Kent laughed as Crystal had a habit of bottling things up. However, she'd gotten better at doing it less over time. Still, she struggled with standing up for herself and making her true feelings known.
"I'm not as troubled by my levels or lack of physical powers. I'm still the new Sailor Mercury, Mom. Furthermore, I've established my intelligence in other ways." Crystal explained.
"As I've told you, Crystal, You don't need to be anyone else but yourself." Kent hugged his teenage daughter as he sat on her other side. Crystal relaxed into her father's embrace but looked at her mom, who looked unsure but also very proud.
"I won't force you to study whatever you don't want to anymore," Ami whispered. Then mother and daughter hugged too.
Back at the table, as Crystal ate her grilled cheese sandwiches and a small bag of chips, she chatted with her friends as they always did (Gracie's parents had taken her out for lunch.) After washing the grease from her hands, Crystal joined the girls and kittens for a movie: The Cat Returns. Asteroid curled up in Crystal's lap to watch. The girls made small connections between the movie's characters and some Mau citizens.
"Maybe Mau inspired this movie?" Alexis giggled, joking.
"It's possible since the movies exist in this universe," Crystal responded.
"I wouldn't be surprised." Christen laid back on the sofa. She was acting bored with the movie.
She liked cats and anime, but she liked acting bad-mannered more for the thrill of it! However, no one had the right to force her to enjoy a movie. Crystal did not care, as her spirits were higher than they had been for quite some time, and she looked better, too!